How Did Buck Owens Get ‘Buck’ for a Name?

If you are a fan of Buck Owens music like I am, somewhere in the back of your mind you've maybe wondered how he got "Buck" for a name.

His real name was Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. He was born and raised on a farm in Sherman, Texas.

"Buck" was a donkey on the Owens farm. When Alvis Jr. was three or four years old, he walked into the house and announced that his name also was "Buck".

That was fine with the family, and the boy's name was Buck from then on.

Known professionally as Buck Owens, he had 21 number one hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band the Buckaroos.

Owens died on March 25, 2006 shortly after performing at his Crystal Palace restaurant, club and museum in Bakersfield, California.

Owens is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.